Recording apparatus



Dct. 23, 1934.

W. W. H ESTER RECORD-ING APPARATUS Filed April 27. 1931 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR Wy/ zea W Heqfer ATTORNEY oct. z3, 1934. AW w, HESTER V1,972630 RECORDING APPARATUS ATTORNEY Patented Oct. 23, 1934 PATENT OFFICE aucoanmc APPARATUS Wynes W. Hester, Tulsa, kla., assigner to Driftmeter, Incorporated, Tulsa, Okla., a cor- Dotation of Oklahoma Application April 27, 1931, Serial No. 533,008

My invention relates to recording apparatus and more particularly to a device of that character for detecting and recording the angularity of well holes, the principal object of the invention being to provide a compact instrument, containing a complete mechanismv for automatically recording the degree of inclination from vertical of a well hole on records that can be easily read and that can be compactly filed for future reference.

A further object of my invention is tov embody means in an instrument of this character for delaying operation of the recording mechanism until a predetermined interval of time has elapsed.

In accomplishing these and other objects of my invention I have provided improved details of structure, the preferred form of which is ilo lustrated in the accompanying drawings, where- Fig. 1 is an elevational view of the angle recording instrument in operable position in an inclined well hole, portions of the device being broken away to more clearly illustrate the structure of the instrument.

Fig. 2 is La. central longitudinal section of the upper portion of the instrument.

Fig. 3 is a similar view illustrating the lower end of the apparatus.

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the time-controlled switch elements of the device in disas sembled relation.

Fig. 5 is a disassembled view in perspective of the solenoid body and recording plunger.

Fig. 6 is a cross section on the line 6-6.` Fig. 3.

Fig. 7 is a top plan view of a record disk.

Fig. 8 is a bottom plan view f the disk.

Referring more in detail to the drawings:

l designates a well hole lined with the usual casing 2 and shown as inclined from perpendicular to more clearly illustrate the invention.

'Ihe recording instrument, mounted in the casing for recording the degree of inclination,

. includes a cylindrical shell or housing 3 internally threaded at its upper and lower ends, as shown at 4 and 5, for respectively receiving the externally threaded neck 6 of an upper nose 7 and a similar neck 8 of a bottom nose 9.

Mounted'on the neck of the lower nose is a cushioning spring 10 supporting on its upper end a solenoid container 11 comprising' a cylindrical body having an -outer annular recess 12 onits lower end for receiving the upwardly directedangel3ofanendcap14.

A cork disk 15 rests in the end cap for seating a record blank or disk 16 adapted to be perforated in a manner later to be described.

Snugly engaging the solenoid housing wall intermediate its ends and secured thereto by screws 17 is an outer gimbal ring 18 pivotally joined with an inner ring 19 by bearing screws 20, and similar screws 21 threaded into the inner ring pivotally support a solenoid body or plumb bob 22, the inner and outer rings permitting universal pivotal movement of the plumb bob.`

An annular recess 23 is provided in the solenoid body to form a spool for receiving layers of windings 24 to actuate, when energized, a 70 plunger 25 slidably mounted in a concentric bore 26 of the body. The lower end 27 of the plunger, reduced in cross section, terminates in a needle point 28 for perforating the record when forced into engagement therewith. 5

Normally the plunger is maintained in retracted or elevated position by a spring 29 surrounding the reduced portion of the stem and seated Qn a shoulder formed adjacent the lower end of the body by a constricted portion 30. The lower end of the body or pendulum is of conical formation to permit freedom of swinging movement of the plumb bob in the housing 11 and the upper end is closed by a dust cap 31 secured by screws 32 to the body and including a raised portion 33 for receiving the upper end of the plunger. Y

One end of the solenoid winding is grounded to the plumb bob and the other end is projected through insulated aligning apertures 34 in the cap and solenoid body and is secured to a flexible conductor 35 having an upper end connected to a contact screw 36 extended through a concentric opening 37 of an upper closure member or support 38 fixed in the solenoid housing near its upper end, an outwardly directed ange 40 of the closure member being seated on an annular ring 41 fixed by means such as Welding, as'indicated at 42, to the sole noid housing.

Engaging the internally threaded upper end of the solenoid housing is a lower externally threaded end 43 of a battery case 44 containing a plurality of battery cells 45, preferably twelve in number. Ihe upper end of the battery case is secured by screws 46 to an annular recessed portion 47 of a lower guide member 48 formed integrally with a supporting bracket 49.

The supporting bracket includes a vertical bar portion 50 having an arcuate wall 51 complementary to the inner surface of the instrument housing and a flat face wall 52 directed toward the interior of the housing. The upper end of the supporting bracket terminates in an offset ledge 53 having a guide stem 54 extending upwardly therefrom, and supported on the ledge is a socket member 55 having a concentric opening 56 for receiving the stem.

Notches 57 are cut into the socket member and the lugs 58 formed thereby are bent inwardly over the lower coil of an upper cushioning spring 59 to attach the socket member to the spring. 'Ihe upper end of the spring is seated in a socket 60, formed in the lower face of the upper nose 7, and engages a lateral shoulder 61 produced by a constricted bore 62 which continues upwardly from the bore and is adapted to receive the guide stem 54 when the upper cushioning spring is compressed.

Provided in the lower guide portion 48 of the supporting bracket is a concentric opening 63 for receiving a plug 64 of fiber or similar insulating material and having a central guide opening 65 for slidably receiving a contact post 66. The lower end of the post terminates in a head 67 and mounted between said head and the lower end of the insulating plug is a spring 68 for normally urging the contact post into engagement with the upper contact of the topmost battery cell, and the outward movement of the post is limited by a washer 69 secured thereon adjacent its upper end by a transverse pin 'I0 slidably engaging an enlarged portion 71 of the bore 65.

Mounted immediately above the guide plug and secured by screws 72 to the bar member in abutting engagement with its face wall 52 is a fuse block 73 also constructed of insulating material and having upper and lower apertured ends 74 and 'l5 respectively.

A contact screw 'I6 extended through the lower apertured end of the fuse block is connected to a straightened portion 'I7 leading from the spring 68 through a longitudinal opening 78 of x necting the rear plate to the screw.

the guide plug and a fuse blade 'I9 is pivotally mounted on the opposite end of the screw between washers 80. Extending through the upper apertured end of the fuse block is a bolt 81 aligning with a notch 82 formed in the fuse blade so that the blade may be moved into or out of circuit-closing relation with the bolt and maintained in engagement therewith by a binding nut 83 threaded on the bolt 81.

A conductor 84, preferably in the form of a :flexible blade, is anchored to the bolt 81 and is connected with atiming watch 85 clamped between front and rear plates 86 and 87 by transverse screws 88. The rear plate supports the watch and includes a spaced-retractively bent arm 89 mounted on a cushioning disk 90 secured by a screw 91 to the face wall of the supporting bracket, a 'grounding' strip 92 con- In this manner the watch is yieldingly supported in the instrument so that jars resulting from ordinary record-taking operations will not damage the mechanism of the time piece.

The upper face of the record disk is provided with series of concentric rings 93 spaced at equal intervals by more pronounced rings 94 so that the degree of -angularity may be readily determined by noting the point at which the needle has left its-mark. The lower face of the disk may be provided with suitable indicia 95 to assist in filing a complete record of each i reading taken on a well.

The instrument may be run into a well hole by a cable 96 extended through an opening 97 in the upper nose '7 and actuated from the top of the well bysuitable reeling apparatus commonly available for that purpose. A

Assuming an instrument to be constructed as described, the operation for assembling the device and for taking a reading would be as follows:

After winding the watch and ascertaining that it is running, the time required to run the instrument into the well hole to the depth at which the reading is to be taken is estimated and the hand of the watch is set, in anticlockwise direction from the contact provided in the watch, the number of minutes required for the run. A few additional minutes are added to insure sufficient time for the instrument to come to rest.

After the hand of the watch has been set, the exact time is noted on another watch so that the instrument may be withdrawn from the well immediately after a record has been made.

The fuse is next moved to engagement with the upper contact post and is secured thereto by the binding nut provided on the post. A record disk is then inserted on top of the cork in the lower end cap of the solenoid housing and the inner mechanism is inserted in the outer shell whereupon the upper nose is securely tightened on the instrument housing.

Attention is here directed to the fact that the lower nose is preferably normally retained in fixed water-tight relation with the shell and that a copper on similar gasket is inserted between the upper nose and shell to insure a water-tight joint at this point.

After the device has been lowered to a predetermined depthjn the well hole the time piece will have closed the circuit through the battery and solenoid winding to actuate the plunger for perforating the record disk.

Continued flow of current through this circuit, however, will quickly blow the fuse to break the circuit, and consequently the plunger will be retracted into the solenoid body by the Spring 29- 125 The instrument is then withdrawn from the well hole and disassembled for removing the record disk and the location of the perforation in the disk is noted for quickly ascertaining the degree of inclination of the hole at the depth at 130 which the reading was taken.

From the foregoing it will be apparent that I have provided 'a compact instrument for this Purpose that is" reliable and economical in operation, it being necessary to only replace the fuse and record disk after each reading.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. Apparatus of the character described including a metallic housing, means supporting a record blank in the housing, a pendulum pivotally supported in the housing above said blank, a solenoid winding on the pendulum having one end grounded to the housing, a needle `.slidably mounted in the pendulum on an axial line of 14'@ the pendulum, a support fixed in the housing, a battery mounted on the support, flexible means v electrically connecting. one terminal of said battery with the other end of the solenoid winding, and normally open circuit means connecting anlli? other terminal of the battery with the housing to establish a circuit iorv energizing said solenoid to project the needle from the pendulum and mark the record and a time operated switch for closing said normally open circuit means.

2. Apparatus ofthe character described including a housing adapted to be lowered into a Well, means for supporting a record disk in the housing in a plane at right angles to the longitudinal axis of the housing, disk marking means, means for supporting the marking means in the housing whereby the marking means is retained in perpendicular position over the disk by inuence of' gravity, a solenoid carried by said supporting means to increase gravitational eiect on the marking means and to actuate said marking means, a battery mounted in the housing, an electric circuit connecting the battery with the solenoid, a normally open switch in said circuit, and clock mechanism for closing the circuit to energize the solenoid and effect operation of said marking means.

3. Apparatus of the character described including a housing adapted to be lowered into a well,l means for supporting a record disk in the housing in a plane at right angles to the longitudinal axis of the housing, a solenoid,

means for swingingly supporting the solenoid in the housing whereby the solenoid is retained in perpendicular position over the disk under inuence of gravity, a disk marking needle, means for yieldingly retaining the needle in retracted position in the solenoid, a battery supported in the housing, an electric circuit connecting the battery with the solenoid to effect energization of the solenoid and projection of vthe needle into marking contact with said record disk, a switch in said circuit, clock mechanism supported in the housing and operable to close said switch, and a fuse in the circuit for automatically openin the circuit. I 4. In a device of the character described including a housing, a gimbal, means for supporting the gimbal in the housing, a solenoid 'suspended by the gimbal including a core having a vertical bore, a solenoid winding on the core, a needle slidable in the bore, means for yieldingly retaining the needle in retracted position in the bore, and electrical means in the housing for energizing the solenoid to effect projection of the needle from the solenoid.

WYNES W. I-IESTER.

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